Any Computer, Any Interface, Any Curriculum

Fifth-grade science was different last year for Mrs. Rivera. Each year her students build terrariums and grow "fast plants" in them. Last year, for the first time, her students monitored the humidity, temperature, and pH sensors inside their terrariums while they studied the growth of their fast plants. As a result of this extensive data collection, students graphed and analyzed the differences between terrariums, which sparked further questions and experimentation. Mrs. Rivera had purchased sensors that functioned on desktop computers in the local computer lab. Little did she know that her school district would soon adopt a specific kit-based, standards-based curriculum for science that encouraged students to study various environments-inside and outside the classroom-in urban and field settings, around streams and rivers, and within homes.

Although she was thrilled with the new curriculum, Mrs. Rivera was faced with a dilemma: the school did not have portable computers. She would need to teach her science lessons without contextual experimentation, or find the funds to purchase a portable computing platform, such as laptops or handheld computers. Unfortunately, after she purchased the new portable computing devices, Mrs. Rivera realized that the sensor software the school had previously purchased was not compatible with the new platform. She now had portable computer devices that could support real-world inquiry, but no way to collect valuable data.

Above: Collecting data with a force probe from Levers and Machines.

Below: Setting up a walking track from Understanding Motion.

Science teaching with sensor vendors has always been awkward due to the number of platforms, sensors, and software packages that are available within a school building. It is not uncommon to find schools with cabinets filled with sensors from multiple vendors that are no longer used. What if standards-based materials were developed using cross-platform software that could be interfaced by many different sensor vendors? Technology Enhanced Elementary and Middle School Science (TEEMSS) does just that.

Since our founding, the Concord Consortium has researched the impact of computer-based education to create and disseminate valuable, proven, and easily implemented technology-based science learning materials and associated teacher professional development. In 1999, our Mobile Inquiry Technology project used portable devices like the Apple eMate and eProbe sensors from Knowledge Revolution to allow students to collect data in and outside the classroom. As technology evolves, hardware and software become extinct: the eMate and eProbe are no longer produced or supported. To hedge our bets for longevity and reach as many classroom teachers and students as possible, our TEEMSS project develops materials that are cross-platform; they run on Windows, Macintosh, PocketPC, and Palm operating systems. Additionally, we use sensors from six of the major vendors to eliminate any concerns that a particular vendor's requirements would preclude a school's participation in the project.

With the recent No Child Left Behind Act and the need for broad content coverage, it is difficult for science teachers to find the time to provide their students with inquiry-based, hands-on activities. It's even more difficult to add technology to the mix. The TEEMSS project is positioned to change that. Our interactive materials target the National Science Education Standards (NSES) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards, and are focused on incorporating relevant materials into the existing curriculum.

Recognizing that using sensors and model simulations can be daunting to an elementary or middle school teacher, TEEMSS offers an online professional development course to assist teachers in becoming comfortable with integrating technology in the classroom. The five-week course encourages a discourse among the teachers as they work through the same activities their students will later use. Jennifer Reynolds (Lathrop, MO, Middle School) recently wrote online, "Wow! This makes me feel overwhelmed and excited at the same time! I am a first-year teacher and I had no idea that all of this technology was available for classroom use. I think the first time I ever saw a teacher use any technology outside of PowerPoint was in 12th grade when my Biology teacher did gel electrophoresis. I thought that was the coolest at the time and I am really thrilled to be able to offer my students a glimpse of scientific technology much earlier in life."

Nine units have been developed for grades 3-8 based on the inquiry, physical science, and life science NSES standards. Six additional units will be developed this summer in earth/space and technology/engineering. Activities encourage students to predict, describe, and design. Each unit has embedded assessments, graphing tools, and technical hints for using the sensors and the software. Embedded assessments allow students to answer questions and justify their answers. For instance, following a multiple-choice question, students might respond to an open-ended statement like "Why do you think this would be true?" What is so unique about the TEEMSS instructional materials is not only their ease of use, but also their ability to record and report student progress. Because students log in to a web portal to use the materials, their work is recorded. When teachers log in, they can view reports on the assessments and student work. The portal offers entry points for each particular brand of sensor, so technical help is focused and appropriate.

TEEMSS materials are "backward" designed. We started by identifying the essential understanding that we wanted students to have at the completion of each unit. Then we created questions that could be revisited throughout the unit to engage students in evolving dialogue and debate. By identifying the goals and objectives from the start, we could embed meaningful assessments. Rachel Tennison (Bolivar, MO, Intermediate School) says, "I am very impressed with the instructional units. The labs consist of essential questions to get the students instantly thinking. I love the box for the students to type their answers in because it is so similar to the state standardized tests. The use of sensors with these instructional units will definitely enhance the inquiry process in my classroom."

The TEEMSS project, funded by the National Science Foundation, includes a strong research component. In addition to evaluating project components, including materials, teacher training, and classroom implementation, we are also measuring student learning of the targeted standards. Seventy teachers from Missouri are using tests that have been developed in collaboration with our external evaluators at SRI International.

Exploiting Technology

Of twenty-two NSF-funded science curricula for grades 3-8 featured on the EDC Dissemination Center¹, not one exploits the greatest strengths of sensors and models for student exploration, communication, or student assessment. While many developers of science instructional materials believe that integrating sensors and/or models with their activities could help student understanding, they are unwilling to take this step. With limited resources, they would have to select a single vendor and doing so would limit the reach of their materials. By developing for (most) any computer and sensor, TEEMSS has an authoring and deployment system that can change this dynamic and effectively integrate sensors, models, and embedded assessment with science instructional materials. The potential for improving elementary and middle school science is enormous.

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